Azamara Pursuit leaves Belfast after lengthy refurbishment (includes a look inside)

By: Steven Tarbox
Date:
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Azamara Club Cruises AZAMARA PURSUIT (ex ADONIA) arrives in Belfast for refurbishment on April 4th 2018. Copyright © Scott Mackey.
Azamara Club Cruises AZAMARA PURSUIT (ex ADONIA) arrives in Belfast for refurbishment on April 4th 2018. Copyright © Scott Mackey.

The latest addition to Azamara Club Cruises fleet, AZAMARA PURSUIT, left Belfast earlier today bound for Southampton. This follows the successful completion of her “shakedown” voyage to the Isle of Man under the command of Senior Captain Carl Smith.  This took the form of a charity cruise which raised some £100,000 for charity.  AZAMARA PURSUIT was previously P&O cruises ADONIA, though she was originally built for Renaissance Cruises by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France as R EIGHT.

Azamara Club Cruises AZAMARA PERSUIT (ex ADONIA) alongside Harland & Wolff's Ship Repair Quay (SRQ) on April 4th 2018. Irish Ferries DUBLIN SWIFT is astern of her, also on the Ship Repair Quay. Copyright © Scott Mackey.
Azamara Club Cruises AZAMARA PURSUIT (ex ADONIA) alongside Harland & Wolff’s Ship Repair Quay (SRQ) on April 4th 2018. Irish Ferries DUBLIN SWIFT is astern of her, also on the Ship Repair Quay. Copyright © Scott Mackey.

AZAMARA PURSUIT originally arrived in Belfast on April 4th following a dry docking in Barbados where she was handed over from P&O Cruises to Azamara and renamed and repainted.  During her over three month stay in Belfast she was comprehensively refurbished by Newry based MJM Marine, with support from MJM Group subsidiaries Mivan Marine and Topglass, while alongside at Harland & Wolff’s Ship Repair Quay (SRQ).  The extensive refurbishment was the first of its kind undertaken in the UK for many years, and the £50m contract has been billed as a “game changer” for MJM and the marine industry in Northern Ireland.  It was also the first time a major cruise brand has handed complete project management responsibility for a refurbishment to a single organisation.

ULYSSES approaches Belfast Dry Dock for an emergency dry docking on 28/06/18 with STENA HIBERNIA in the background, while AZAMARA PURSUIT (in Belfast for refit) looks on from the Ship Repair Quay. Copyright © Scott Mackey.
ULYSSES approaches Belfast Dry Dock for an emergency dry docking on 28/06/18 with STENA HIBERNIA in the background, while AZAMARA PURSUIT (in Belfast for refit) looks on from the Ship Repair Quay. Copyright © Scott Mackey.

AZAMARA PURSUIT is currently sailing to Southampton where she will be christened before embarking on her first commercial voyage from Southampton to Norway on August 1st as part of a 12 day cruise.  In Norway she will be reunited with her sister ship AZAMARA JOURNEY (originally R SIXin Haugesund.  This will be the second time AZAMARA PURSUIT and AZAMARA JOURNEY have been reunited this year however, as AZAMARA JOURNEY visited Belfast on a cruise on July 16th, with her sister overlooking from the Ship Repair Quay.  Her next cruise will be a 15-night “Wonders of Iceland” cruise, also from Southampton, which will call at Belfast on the return leg.

AZAMARA JOURNEY. She will be reunited with her recently refurbished (in Belfast) sister AZAMARA PURSUIT in Norway at the start of next month. © Azamara Club Cruises
AZAMARA JOURNEY. She will be reunited with her recently refurbished (in Belfast) sister AZAMARA PURSUIT in Norway at the start of next month. © Azamara Club Cruises

Azamara Club Cruises is a brand of Royal Caribbean Cruises.  They provide “an up-market voyage experience for discerning travellers who long to reach out-of-the-ordinary destinations and indulge in amenities and service unparalleled on the high seas”.  The current fleet consists of the three sister-ships AZAMARA QUEST, AZAMARA JOURNEY, and AZAMARA PURSUIT.  The departure of AZAMARA PURSUIT from Harland & Wolff follows yesterdays departure of another (though unplanned) long-term visitor, Irish Ferries ULYSSES.

A look inside Azamara Purusit

All images are © Azamara Club Cruises

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